Grading or separating machine



S. MARSHALL. GRADING oII SEPAIIIITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NAN. 9, IezI.'

Patented Dec. 6, 1921-.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

S.`N|AR1SHAL`L.

GRADING 0R SEPARAUNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9.1921.

15,399,022, Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

J7. ZSHEETS--SHEET 2.

sYLvEsTEn MARSHALL, or ATHENS, omo.

ries.

` ,GRADING- oa saraaa'rrne MACHINE.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1921.

ApplicationV filed March 9,1921. Serial No. 451,057.

- To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, VSrnvnsrnn MaRsHALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Athens, in the county of Athens and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grading or Separating Machines, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to grading orseparating machines and is designed as an im@ provement upon the machines shown in Letters Patent issued to me as follows: 1,198,- 395, September 12, 1916; 1,228,800, June 15, 1917, and 1,341,571, May 25, 1920.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine in whicha series of oppositely inclined screens are mounted rigidly in a laterally rocking box or cradle, the uppermost screen discharging at its lower end upon the screen next below and the lowermost screen discharging at its lower end through an outlet in the adjacent endof the box orcradle andv there being an imperforate' plate or partition under every screen `and discharging laterally through outlets in one longitudinal side of the box or cradle; also to provide means for centrally suspending the box or cradley and screens longitudinally within an outer supporting frame and mechanism whereby the said box or cradle may be rocked laterally in opposite ldirections upon proved machine.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation,

Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section through the laterally rockingscreen box: or cradle, and

LFig.` 4 is a transverse vertical section throughFig. 3.`

A suitable upright `frame' 1 is provided within which is suspended a rectangular screen-carrying box or cradle 4. The box or cradle 4 is provided with end' trunnions 5 extending mounted in bearings 6 secured to the ends of the upright frame 1 so that the screencarrying box yor cradle 4 may be rocked laterally in opposite directions. To eilect this rocking action one end of the screen-carrying box or cradle 4 is provided at one end with an operating arm 7 having a plurality of apertures to one of which is connected an operating rod 8 engagingan eccentric pin'10 mounted 'on a disk 9 driven by a sprocket 11 connected to a second sprocket 12 bya sprocket chain 13. The sprocket 12 is mounted on a drive shaft 14 having asprocket 15, which in turn is connected to a sprocket 16 by a sprocket chain Y17. The sprocket 16 is mounted on the shaft 18 of a fan blower 19 mounted upon the top of the main frame 1. The shaft 14 is driven by a drive pulley 2,1 mountedV thereon. Y

The shaft ofthe fan blower 19 is connected to a longitudinally reciprocating frame 22 in front or' the blast trunk 23 of the casing 25 mounted on top of the frame 1. This frame 22 is ysuspended by links 26 and is connected by a pitman 26 with an eccentric pin 27 on the sprocket wheel 16 that rotates the fan shaftv18. Within the frame 22 is n placed an upper forwardly and downwardly inclined chaff-separating screen 27, thek higher end of which is next to the fan 19 and directlyy below the outlet of a feed hopper 28. The lower forward end of the screen 27 discharges the grain upon the upper forward end Vof a reversely inclined lower screen 29 and the rear lower end of thisscreen 29 discharges through an outlet 30 upon the higher inner end et a forwardly and downwardly inclined grading screen 31. This screen 31 discharges atV its lower end through an opening 32 upon the higher end of a reversely inclined screen 33, which in turn discharges at its lower end through a similar opening 32 upon the upper end of a third screen 34, andthis screen 34 discharges at its lower end through an opening 32 upon thelowest screen 35k, which in turn discharges through its' outlet into a receptacle 36. Below the screens 31, 334 an-d 34 horizontal plates or partitions 37 areplaced, ltheends thereof next to the openings 32 in said screens being provided with openingsA 39 to permit'the passage therethrough of the seed grain from one screen to the other. At

each longitudinal side of these partitionsy or plates 37 and a bottom plate 38 the sides of the screen box or cradle 4 are providedv with long slits or outlets 40 for the discharge of the smaller imperfect grain that` falls through the meshes of the screens upon the partitions or plates. The screens and partitions are held in place by suitable grooves 21 and a panel 21 one-half the size of the side of the box isrmade removable to get at the interior and permit lateral removal of the middle screens when a less amount is required to be screened out to obtain perfect seed.

Each screen 31, 33, 34 and 35 is formed of an outer oblong frame 41 having its long sides inclined outwardly and downwardly from the screen material and covered with imperforate metal plates 42. A short metal plate 42 extends across one end of each screen under openings 39 .to prevent wheat from falling through the screens when their slant is not at 45 angle. i

These inclined side plates 42 and plate 42. prevent the seed grain from falling through the screens when they reach the end oftheir lowermost throw in either direction and` start the grain on its travel transversely across the screens from their higher sides.

As in my said patents before referred to, the

mesh of the screens is larger than the greatest transverse diameter of the largest seed grain or particles of material to `be graded. Therefore, in the lateral rocking motion` of the inclined screens only the largest grains thereon will fail to fall through and be passed down the longitudinal incline to the screen next below and all of thev smaller inferior grains will fall through the screens upon the partitions 37 -38 and be discharged by the lateral throw of the box or cradle through the openings 40 in the sides thereof, where they may be caught in any suitable receptacle placed along that side ofthe machine. Thus while I have retained my feature of the klarge mesh of screen shown in said patents I have provided a machine capable of a very greatly enlarged output of seleotedseed grain.

The operation, briefly stated, is as follows: Grain from the hopper is fed continuously upon screens V27-29 and the chaifand the like are blown through the yopen front end of the frame 22; the cleaned grain to be graded falling through opening 23 downv upon the high end of the uppermost grading screen in the cradle. The longitudinal inclination of the grading screen 31 causes a flow of the larger grains toward the lower end thereof to the high end of the screenl next below, and so on to the outlet of the lowermost screen. In the lateral rock` of the screens the grain will .be rolledtransversely across the screens and so progress gradually toward theoutlet. Only the very largest grains will thus fail to fallthrough the screens and be saved forseed. All of the smaller inferior grains and any remain- The object is not the ordinary winnowing and screening followed at present, but the selectingout of the most perfect grains only for seed purposes, which will, ofcourse, re-

. sult eventually in increasing the size of the grains 1n succeeding crops.

Of course, a better qualityfof grain and a corresponding increase the price obtained therefor will follow.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a 'suitablesup-- port, of a laterally rocking longitudinally inclined screen mounted on said support and discharging at its lower end; the mesh of the `screen being larger than the greatest diameter of the grains to-be separated or graded, a horizontal plate or partition mounted under the screen for movement therewith to receive the material which falls through thescreens and discharge it at one longitudinal edge, and means for rocking said screen and connected plate or partition. i

2. The combination with a `suitable support, of a laterally rocln'ng` longitudinally inclined screen suspended at its ends'therein and having plates along its side edges to fprevent materialfrom falling `through at such points; the mesh of the screen being larger than the greatesttransverse `diameter of the grains to be graded or separated, and

means for rocking the screen. i

3. The combination with a suitable support, ofa' laterally rocking longitudinally inclined' screen suspended at its ends therein and having its longitudinal edges inclined from the screeni material outwardly andv downwardly; the screen mesh being larger than the greatest diameter of the' grains ,to

be separated or graded,and means for rook` i ing the screen laterally.

4. The combinationwith a suitable frame,

of a boxor `cradle having bearings centrally of its ends for rocking movement, oppositely inclined screens mounted longitudinally of the box or cradle and discharging downwardly from their lower ends successively one upon theother; thelower` end of the lowermost screen discharging at one end of the box or cradle, horizontal plates orp'artitions in. the box or cradle `betweenthe screens; the `box or cradle having longitudinal openings in one side registering with the adjacent longitudinal sides `of the' partitions or plates, and means for rocking the i box or cradle laterally.

5.' A grain separator or grader comprising a frame or support, va box or'cradlel suspended centrally of its ends in the .ends of said frame and having grading screens and partitions to discharge at the ends and lsides of `the frame respectively, a fan blower mounted above the box or cradle and having a longitudinally extending trunk discharging at one end of the frame, oppositely inclined superposed reciprocating separating screens in front of the fan, the lower end of the lower screen discharging downwardly upon the adjacent end of the uppermost grading screen, a driven shaft, and operative connections between said shaft and the screen box or cradle, the fan and the longi- 10 tudinally reciprocating separating screens.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature.

SYLVESTER MARSHALL. 

